Road To Recovery
by MereMcQueen314
Summary: Sally comes down with what seems to be a simple cold, but turns out to be so much more than that. The story of what has been happening to me for the last month, told through writing. A simple cold that revealed the need for surgery. SalQueen. Slightly AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Road To Recovery- Chapter 1.**

**Hey, guys. A lot of you were wondering what I'm going through with my upcoming surgery. I decided that to give you a little more insight, I'd turn it into a... (drum roll) story! It'll be short, but I'm hoping you'll enjoy. **

**This is what has happened to me (except for a few REALLY personal details I'd rather not share) in the last four weeks. I'm sort of venting all my feelings on this experience, doing it through the characters. I made Sally have the same allergies I have and I made her asthmatic. Like me. :) During this story, I decided to make all the characters be younger. Sally is sixteen and Lightning is eighteen. Sort of a AU story. Also, I know that of this was real, Sally's parents would be making a much bigger appearance in this. Ignore that.**

**Cars belongs to Disney/Pixar.**

* * *

Cough! Cough cough!

"Sal, you alright?" Lightning McQueen asked his girlfriend, Sally Carrera. They were at her house, sitting in the living room.

"Yeah- cough -I think so... I think I might be getting sick." She replied, leaning against him where he sat.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh really? Sally, you were coughing a little yesterday, and you're sneezing and coughing more today." He placed his palm against her forehead. "Well... You don't have a fever."

Sally sighed. She hated getting sick. Why did it always happen? She coughed again, then again, then again. Sally sat up as she began coughing even harder. Lightning looked at her with concern. "You want your inhaler?"

She glared slightly. "No." Sally HATED taking that thing. Even though it WOULD help her, the side affects were terrible. It made her hands shake like crazy. It made her get a migraine, be dizzy, and feel like she was going to puke. Unless of course, she took a small amount of another medication, and then she didn't get the headache and the nausea.

She coughed harder, if possible. Sally had been diagnosed with asthma at the young age of six. She had been playing outside one day, and it began to rain. She caught a cold. That would have been nothing, except that a week later, she was still sick. She got a fever, and her mother quickly took her to the doctor's office. She had pneumonia, and the symptoms of asthma. The doctor prescribed an inhalation medication. Not an inhaler, but a big machine with a mouthpiece, out of which a mist of medication sprayed. The first medication that they tried made Sally get so shaky and jittery, she was practically climbing the walls. There was another medication though, and this one was milder. She also began using an inhaler every morning and night to control the asthma. Sally did this for years. She still did actually.

Sally laid on the sofa, pulling a blanket over her. But she quickly found that it was hard to breathe laying down, and she sat back up, coughing again. Lightning shot her another concerned glance, then stood and walked to the kitchen. He returned a few moments later with a tray. A bowl of chicken broth, a spoonful of honey, and a cup of tea all sat on the tray. Sally sighed sadly and sat up. Inevitable. She had caught another cough.

...

A few hours later, she was still coughing, and hadn't stopped. She was almost coughing constantly, harder and harder. Lightning had managed to get her to take her inhaler, and he'd also gotten cough syrup into her. Sally would have tried a cough drop, but they contained menthol.

Menthol. The active ingredient in most cough syrups and drops. Mint. In SOOO many things. Candy, gum, food, certain teas, toothpaste. If Sally so much as smelled a cough drop or was near a person chewing gum, her throat and airways would begin to close. She couldn't breathe and it got hard to swallow. Anaphylaxis.

Sally, feeling nauseas and exhausted from all the coughing, walked towards the sofa again. Lightning grabbed a few extra pillows. "Here, sweetie." He said, placing the pillows behind her. "Prop up on those."

Sally laid so that she was almost sitting up, and Lightning pulled a blanket over her. "Thanks, Light." she croaked.

He kissed her forehead. "You'll feel better in the morning."

Wrong.

* * *

.: A Week Later :.

Sally's cough had finally relented. After a week of taking her inhaler around the clock every four hours, plus taking the medication to prevent nausea, Sally was finally on the road to recovery. However... She was very achy and tired. The medication that she had to take with her inhaler dried her out. Lightning assumed she was probably dehydrated.

He brought her a glass of Ice water and sat beside her. He ran his fingers through her hair. Sally's parents sat on the opposite sofa, watching a movie. Sally buried her head in Lightning's chest. She felt herself beginning to tear up. The medication played with her emotions and tangled them up. Sally wasn't even sure why she was crying. She just didn't feel good. Sally also noticed a sore feeling in her stomach. Right under her rib cage. She cuddled up next to Lightning, and he wrapped his arms around her. Sally winced as she felt the pain in her stomach begin to hurt worse. It was a squeezing pain, as if all the muscles there were tightening. Sally brushed it off. But the next day, it returned.

* * *

**There's the first chapter. Four weeks ago, I began coughing. That first night, I couldn't fall asleep until about midnight, due to coughing. This is very close to what I went through, except that I don't have a boyfriend. :( Yet. :) **

**Yes, I am allergic to mint and menthol. And corn pollen, sunscreen, weeds, hay, and dust mites. I've also been asthmatic since age six.**

**I guess you could say that this story is a journal almost of what's been happening to me. **

**Please Review. **


	2. Unknown Problem

**wow. I got this second chapter out fast! **

* * *

Road to Recovery- Chapter 2.

* * *

.: A Week Later :.

Sally woke up, aching all over. A glance at her bedroom clock told her that it was seven am. Sally closed her eyes again, drifting back off. It seemed like only a few moments later though, Lightning was pulling the covers off of her. "Up!" He shouted.

Sally groaned and pulled the pillows over her head. Sometimes it was annoying that Lightning lived right across the street. He came and did this almost every morning!

"Hey!" Sally shrieked as Lightning grabbed her pillow. She closed her eyes again and buried her face in the blankets. Lightning rolled his eyes and brought the pillow down on Sally's back. "I'm up." She mumbled, not moving.

*thwack!*

"I'm up."

*thwack!*

"I'm up."

*thwack!*

"I'm up."

*thwack!*

"I'M UP!" Sally shouted, standing up and snatching back her pillow. She groaned and stretched. Lightning saw opportunity and began tickling her sides. "Lightning!" Sally screeched, slapping his arm.

"Ow, Sally." Lightning said, rubbing his red arm.

"Your fault." Sally replied, crossing her arms. "Don't tickle me."

* * *

That afternoon, Sally was resting on the sofa with a bit of a headache. Lightning sat beside her and looked her in the eyes. She tried to manage a smile, but it turned into a wince. Lightning was familiar with that look. "Headache?"

She nodded. "Yeah. A little one."

He stood up. "Let me get you a glass of water and a few Tylenol."

Sally waved her hand. "I got it." She said, standing up. Suddenly her surroundings began to spin and her vision went blurred. She stumbled forward. Thankfully, Lightning was fast enough, and he grabbed her arm before she could fall. Sally pressed her hand to her head and sat down. "Ohh... Gosh. Dizzy." She said, looking up at a worried Lightning.

"How about you let ME go get you that water."

* * *

The next day, Sally's mother had made had drink so much water Sally felt she would turn into a fish. "Mom..." Sally said as her mother passed her another glass.

"Drink it." Her mother replied. "All of that medicine you had to take with your inhaler has gotten you dehydrated."

Sally sighed and say at the table, the glass in front of her. She rested her head on her elbows and looked through the glass. She could see Lightning sitting at the opposite end of the table. Sally looked back up at her mother. "How come Lightning doesn't have to drink this much water?" She complained, though she knew.

"I'm not Lightning's mother, and he's not dehydrated." Her mother replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah." Lightning agreed. "And I don't want to be peeing for three weeks."

Sally glared. "Do we have to bring up that aspect of this?"

Lightning just rolled his eyes. "Fine. I have never had the desire to be turned into a fish."

Sally just sighed. A hand rested on her stomach, right beneath her rib cage. The same place was still hurting.

* * *

The next morning, Sally's mother took her to Doc. It turned out that Sally had gotten an infection from being dehydrated. Doc prescribed an antibiotic and told Sally to drink lots of water. Within a week, Sally's infection was gone. 'Finally', she thought, 'I'm done being sick!'

That's what she thought.

* * *

Two nights later, Sally found herself curled on her side hands pressed against her stomach. It hurt every time she ate or drank. Her mother had assumed it was a stomach ulcer, so she had Sally take a medication. Yet, after four days there had been no change. Was this an ulcer or something worse? Sally moaned as a burning, throbbing, squeezing, painful feeling coursed through her stomach, right under her rib cage. She felt tears filling her eyes. This was so painful! "Mom? Can you please take me to Doc?" She pleaded.

Her mother nodded and reached for the phone to set up an appointment.

Little did Sally know that that appointment the next morning would be the beginning of a whole series of tests to discover the unknown problem.

* * *

**This part was very scary. My stomach was hurting terribly for a week and I had no idea why. Crazy ideas were going through my head. Was it an ulcer? Was it a tumor? This may have been the scariest part of the entire ordeal so far. I had no idea, and I was afraid the doctor's wouldnt find out either. A few years ago, my sister had a pain in her side that didn't go away. They never figured out the problem. **

**But I knew that if they couldn't find the problem with me, I'd end up getting sicker and sicker. It hurt to eat ANYTHING, ordrink anything. I cried more times than I've cried over something before. It was very scary. **

**Please Review.**


	3. Tests

**Here's the next chapter. :) thx you guys for reviewing. :)**

* * *

Road to Recovery- Chapter 3.

* * *

Sally took a deep breath to steady her nerves. They were at the doctors office. Her mother sat in the chair beside her, and Lightning sat on her other side. He'd insisted coming along. His fingers were intertwined with hers, and upon hearing her take a deep breath, and seeing her nervous expression, he wrapped an arm around her and have her an encouraging smile. It was then that he noticed her right hand was shaking. "Sal?"

She clenched her fist to stop the shaking. "Side affect to one of my inhalers." She replied. "I'm fine."

"Sally?" The nurse said from the doorway. The nurse, Alicia, was tall, had blue eyes and honey colored hair, and a warm smile.

Sally, Her mother, and Lightning, stood up and followed the nurse through the doorway. They walked down the hallway. "We'll stop here and get your weight." The nurse said to Sally.

Sally slid her shoes off and handed her purse to her mother, then stepped on the scale. A look of confusion crossed her face when she saw that she was down two pounds from when she was here the week before. She stepped off the scale and they followed the nurse into an examination room. After listening to Sally's heartbeat, she took her blood pressure. The nurse's eyes widened. "142 over 13." She said, putting away the monitor.

After hearing Sally explain the stomach pains, Alicia put away the laptop she had been typing away at. "Okay! The doctor will be in in a few minutes."

Sally took a deep breath and crossed her arms. Lightning looked up at her. "You nervous?"

Sally shook her head. "A little, but not THAT much."

"Well stop it." Lightning said.

Sally rolled her eyes, then winced as the familiar painful throbbing feeling came to her stomach.

A soft knock was heard at the door, and it was opened by Doc Hudson. (A/N: Lol. I wish. I'd rather have Doc than my doctor. Not that he's a bad doctor or anything, there are just days I wish it was Doc.) "Hey." He greeted her. "Not feeling so good, huh?"

Sally shook her head.

...

After a general examination, Doc began to think. "Well, it sounds like a few things. It could be a duodenal ulcer... Or pancreatitis, which would require you being hospitalized. Or it could be the gallbladder..." He turned to Sally's mother. "Yeah, she's the right age for a gallbladder problem. That's usually the age it hits. And a lot of her symptoms sound like that." Doc looked back at Sally. "I think I'll send you downstairs (A/N: My pediatricians office is on the top floor of a hospital.) with an order for an ultrasound and blood work. Hang on." Doc walked back to his office and returned a moment later with papers.

He handed them to her mother, and then turned to Sally. "Don't worry. We're going to figure out what's wrong."

* * *

They walked back to the elevator and then downstairs, where they handed the papers to the receptionist at the desk. Within ten minutes, Sally had given her information, and now wore a hospital bracelet on her right wrist.

They took a seat in the waiting room outside the labs. Lightning took Sally's hand and smiled at her. "Hi." He said, grinning.

"...Hi?" Sally said, leaning against him. She looked up at the tv. A soap opera was on. She turned her head to look at the magazine rack, but her ears still caught the sound of the tv. (A/N: This is actually what was on when I was in the waiting room that day. 0.o)

'... Ma'am, we found blood at the crime scene that could belongs to your son. Do you have ANY idea where he is?'

'I.. I... Don't know..."

'Did he return home last night?'

'... Sometimes he stays out all night. I have no idea where he is.'

'Ma'am, we have reason to believe that your son is a rapist.'

'...What?!'

(A/N: Literally. That's what they were saying.)

"Sally?"

Sally looked up to see a nurse standing in the doorway. She stood up. The nurse smiled. "Please follow me."

Sally was glad to leave the waiting room. They walked down a hallway until they reached a dark room. A bed was in the middle of the room, and to the side of the bed was a machine. Sally's mother sat in a chair, and Lightning took a chair beside her. Sally laid on the bed.

* * *

The ultrasound was quickly over, and Sally was sitting up, wiping gel off her stomach. She shuddered. This stuff was nasty!

The nurse turned on the lights and led them to another waiting room. Next was the blood test. They followed a woman into a room. Cabinets lined the walls, a chair was in the middle of the room, and beside the chair there was a tray, filled with vials, needles, and sterile alcohol wipes. Sally felt fear overcome her.

"Have you ever had blood drawn before?" The nurse asked.

"No." Sally replied.

The nurse tied a tourniquet around Sally's upper arm. "Well, I know it looks scary, but really it's nothing. Just fear of the unknown."

The nurse then wiped the inside of Sally's elbow with a alcohol pad, then pulled out the needle. "Just look the other way, Sal." Lightning told her, taking her other hand.

Sally did as he said and looked away. She felt the needle poke through her skin, and only then did she dare to look. Bad plan. She began to feel nauseas. There, in her arm, a needle was sticking out of her arm. The needle had a tube attached, which was filing rapidly with dark, red blood.

Soon enough though, it was over, and the nurse pulled the needle out, and placed a cotton ball on Sally's arm, taping it down.

* * *

That afternoon, Sally sat beside Lightning on the sofa. She was a bit dizzy from having blood taken. And she was also very tired.

Yet, she found that she couldn't sleep. She was too anxious about the results. What if it WAS pancreatitis? Or something cancerous?

The phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. Sally's heart began to beat fast and hard as she stood up and walked to the kitchen, where her mother was on the phone, writing something on a piece of paper. Sally took a deep breath. A moment later her mother hung up the phone and turned to her. "The test results came back completely normal."

Sally's eyes widened. Well, pancreatitis and cancer was out, thank goodness. But Sally's mother wasn't finished. "They want you to come in for a HIDA-scan tomorrow morning."

* * *

That night, Lightning found Sally sitting on her bed, in tears. "Hey... What's wrong?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"What if they don't find the problem?" Sally asked, sniffing and wiping tears away.

Lightning rubbed gentle circles on her back. "Shhh... Doc promised he would figure out what was wrong. And who knows? Maybe it'll turn out to be something fixed as easily as 'Go eat a barbecue sandwich and some bacon fries'."

Sally laughed. Next to the hospital was a barbecue joint that made the best barbecue and fries in the city. She and Lightning loved going there, and they'd had lunch there the first time he asked her out. "I doubt that." Sally replied.

He chuckled. "I know."

Sally sighed and leaned against him. "Ow..." She whimpered, clutching her stomach.

Lightning looked at her sympathetically. She was in pain all the time.

* * *

**My nurse's name is Alicia, and she looks like I described her. **

**Almost everything Doc said is word-for-word what my doctor said. **

**Exact same with the blood drawing and the ultrasound, except that the blood drawing nurse was very annoying in real life and wore WAAAAAAAAAY too much mascara. **

**There is a 'Slappy's Barbecue' near my doctors office, and the bacon fries are what I miss the most while I can't eat any fast food or fried food for a few weeks. **

**I was actually crying about that same thing the night after the tests. I was terrified. **

**Please Review!**


	4. HIDA-scan

**I want to thank you guys for all the reviews. :) and thank you so much for the support. It warms my heart to know that I have all you guys behind me. **

* * *

Road to Recovery- Chapter 4.

* * *

The next day, Sally found herself sitting in the same waiting room as the day before. The news was on this time though, rather than whatever crap had been on the day before. It was eight fifteen in the morning. Sally hadn't eaten since the night before. She hadn't been allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight. She leaned against Lightning's arm and he stroked her hair comfortingly. A moment later, a man appeared in the doorway, wearing a lab coat and carrying a clipboard. "Sally Carrera?"

Sally stood up slowly. He smiled. "Follow me."

They walked down a hallway and into a room. In the room were desks, chairs, medical equipment and a big machine. This machine was tall, and there was a big, hollow, circular piece with a bed attached. More equipment was beside this. "Please, have a seat right here." The technician, Chris, said.

Sally sat in a chair that resembled a dentist's chair. The technician pulled out a clipboard and pen. "Are you pregnant or nursing?"

"No." Sally replied, trying to ignore the smirk on Lightning's face. He knew that she hated that question, and she had been asked it by seven medical professionals in the last two days.

Chris wrote something on the clipboard, then got the signatures of Sally and her mother. After that, he began preparing the IV. Sally looked away and took slow, even breaths as he inserted the needle. "Okay." He said, "I'm going to insert this saline-like solution into your vein and it will begin to fill your gallbladder." The technician then proceeded to squirt the saline through the IV. Sally shuddered. She could feel it, cold traveling up inside her arm. The technician smiled. "Alright. Why don't you go ahead and lay down over here on the bed?"

Sally did, and found it actually to be kinda comfortable. "Do you want a blanket?" The technician asked.

"Yeah." Sally replied. It was a bit chilly in the room. After he got her a blanket, he started the scan. Sally felt the bed lift up and slide under the circular part. Chris pointed to the screen. "Alright, Sally. For the next hour, the solution I inserted will fill up your gallbladder. I'll take pictures on the monitor every so often. You can go to sleep if you want." Sally nodded and then relaxed.

...

An hour later, Chris approached Sally and began preparing an IV drip. "This will go through the needle and cause your gallbladder to squeeze like its supposed to." He explained.

Sally laid her arm on the table he had brought over. He began to insert the other medications. Sally looked over at Lightning and held out her hand. Lightning understood the gesture and came and intertwined their fingers.

A few moments later, the IV was now working, and Sally was to wait another hour.

* * *

Finally, the scan was over and they were home again. Sally fell asleep on the sofa, curled in Lightning's arms. She was exhausted. Lightning's fingers ran through her hair and he twirled a lock of it. Sally whimpered in her sleep and curled up more, hands pressed against her stomach. Lightning rubbed her back, hoping to comfort her. He hated to see her constantly in pain. Hopefully they would find the problem.

* * *

The next morning, The hospital called. The results from The HIDA-scan were in. The problem was Sally's gallbladder.

A gallbladder empties bile into the intestines to help digest foods containing fat. If a gallbladder was only emptying 35 percent of its contents, that qualified the need for removal. Sally's gallbladder was only emptying 21 percent. It had stopped functioning properly, and it needed to be removed.

The consultation with the surgeon, doctor Hsu, was on Tuesday. Today was Wednesday. For the pain, Sally could take Tylenol and Advil. But Sally had already tried that, and knew it didn't help. These were going to be the longest six days of her life.

* * *

**Those were the longest six days of my life. It has been torture to go through this. **

**Chris was really the name of the technician. And omg, that test room, was COVERED in Star Wars figures! That dude was obsessed! There was a Darth Vader on the machinery! **

**Well, this may be the last chapter until tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow is my consultation with the surgeon. Yes, his name is really Doctor Hsu (pronounced 'shoe'). **

**Wish me luck!**


	5. Consultation

_Well, the consultation is over, blood has been taken, and I'm now waiting for Wednesday, October 17th, eight am, when I will be having surgery performed to remove my gallbladder. _

_Thanks for the reviews! _

_Pixargirl- No, they never found the problem, but it went away on its own. That's not too personal. :) she's 21 now, and doing fine. _

_MonkeyLover- That would be an EPIC doctor's office! I'd go there FOR FUN! _

_Thanks, Tink. *hug* _

_Morgan!- Thx for being an awesome reviewer!_

_Lizzie- Thank you! Hope your dad is feeling better. _

* * *

Road to Recovery- Chapter 5.

* * *

Those six days were like a lifetime. Sally was in constant pain, and it was beginning to hurt in her back too. She had lost her appetite and was exhausted. Not sleeping very well at night caused headaches. But, through it all, Sally was trying to stay happy and positive. She taught herself to think of something else when the pain got bad, and Lightning helped her with that. He played board games with her, watched stupid chick flicks with her (A/N: Omfg, how weird does the term 'chick flick' sound when you're writing in the Cars archive?!), brought her books, and just hung out with her.

Sally was glad that she wasn't facing this alone.

* * *

In the six days that Sally had to wait, she decided that the best way to deal with the pain was to distract herself. However, the other thing that helped was to go on a no spicy foods low fat/no fat diet. Which totally sucked, If anyone wonders. Breakfasts were limited to crispy rice cereal and skim milk, low fat bran muffins (gag!), and low fat yogurt. Lunches were a better selection. She could have low fat chicken fajita soup, or baked tortilla chips topped with low fat cheese, a little bit of mild salsa, and fat free refried beans. Snacks could be low fat pudding, or even certain cookies, or fruit. And dinners could be homemade fried rice with vegetables, soup, salad, or a few other selections.

So, it wasn't what she would have liked, but it wasn't so bad.

Sally's mother came to her on Saturday, bringing home a shopping bag, which she handed to Sally. Sally smiled and then eagerly opened it. She smiled and lifted out a new nightgown and some pajamas. Her mother smiled. "I figured that you needed some pajamas for after surgery, and the nightgowns won't press on your stomach."

"Thanks, mom." Sally said to her, grinning. "I love them!"

* * *

Finally, after a long wait, Tuesday arrived. Lightning, Sally, and her mother all went to the surgeons office for the consultation. Sally leaned up against Lightning while her mother filled out necassary paperwork. Lightning ran his finger through her hair, then held out his hand, Sally assumed to let her hold. Lightning grabbed her hand. "Thumb wrestle!" He exclaimed quietly.

Sally smirked. "I'm gonna kick your butt... Thumb."

"Not this time. I bet you a vanilla milkshake."

"You're on."

"1...2...3...GO!"

Sally and Lightning began to thumb wrestle, until finally, Sally pinned his thumb. "Ha! So there."

"Whatever... I let you win."

"Oh whatever. You're a sore loser." Sally retorted.

"Shut up." He shot back, wrapping an arm around her. He leaned over to place a kiss on her lips, but Sally's mother snapped her fingers near their faces. She was fine with them kissing, but not in public and not in front of her. Sally and Lightning blushed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sally was called back. The nurse took her blood pressure, temperature, and pulse, then left to call the doctor back. Lightning reached up from his chair to hold Sally's hand. "Smile." He said softly.

Sally couldn't help but grin. A few moments later, a knock sounded on the door, and the doctor entered. He was a tall, Asian man, who had short black hair tinged with gray. He wore a warm smile. "Hi. I'm doctor Hsu."

...

After he had examined Sally and listened to her symptoms, he answered her questions. "How long does the surgery take?" Sally asked.

"It will take about an hour, and we'll do it laparoscopically." He replied. "Do you have any more questions?"

Sally shook her head. He smiled. "Okay then." He turned to her mother. "What day is a good day for the surgery."

"Whatever day works for you." She replied.

Doctor Hsu sat down and pulled out his schedule. Sally's mother did the same. "How is... Next Wednesday?" Doctor Hsu asked.

"That's fine. What time?"

"Eight am." He replied. He looked at Sally's mother again. "And you said she was asthmatic?"

"Yes." Her mother replied.

He nodded. "Alright then. We'll probably give her a breathing treatment after the surgery."

Her mother nodded "Alright."

Hsu wrote a few more things on a piece of paper. "And also, I'll send you with an order for some blood work."

"Okay." Sally's mother replied. Lightning gave Sally's hand a small squeeze, seeing her tense up at 'blood work'.

A few moments later, they left the office and headed to the hospital to have the blood drawn.

* * *

That afternoon, Sally sat down beside Lightning and snuggled against him. "You still doing alright?" He asked, rubbing her back.

"A little dizzy." Sally replied. She sighed. "Perfect. Another eight days of waiting."

Lightning smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll wait with you."

* * *

**Well, there you are. I can't post another chapter for a few days because I'm caught up to me. I have no idea what will be the outcome of this story. Right now I'm just praying for the best. **

**Please review.**


	6. Pain

**hey, guys. I'm alive... For now. I'm not feeling too hot, and I'm really wishing that Wednesday would hurry and get here, cause I just want this thing out. **

**Thanks for all the reviews, and ****_pizzachic:_** **its alright that you didn't get to reading it when it was new. That's fine. **

* * *

Road to Recovery- Chapter 6: Pain.

* * *

It was Saturday. Four days left until surgery. Sally was in a good mood, due to the fact that eating had become easier. Foods weren't hurting her stomach nearly as much as they had been, so Sally decided that it was okay to slack a little. Biggest mistake of her life.

See, at lunch, she was melting a little cheese over a taco. This wouldn't have been so bad, except the cheese was a little more than she was supposed to have. She ate it anyway, and had no problems. That afternoon, when walking to the freezer to get something, she had carried a spoon with her, and had a small spoonful of ice cream. Still, she was completely fine. The rest of the day, she stayed on her 'low fat/no fat' diet. And she was still alright. Until after dinner.

Sally was eating an extremely low fat soup. She stood up to carry her empty bowl to the kitchen, when a gut-wrenching pain came over her. She set the bowl down and took a few deep breaths. Nausea overcame her, and she ran to the bathroom. A few minutes passed, and she didn't throw up. However, the nausea didn't relent either, or the pain. Lightning entered the room, carrying a cold washcloth and a small dosage cup with some medication for nausea. "Hey." He greeted her through a whisper. "Your mom said these would help."

Sally drank the medication, wincing. Whoever decided that this was 'cherry flavored' needed obviously to be shot. Lightning sat beside her in the floor and placed the cloth on her forehead, and then rubbed her back, gently. After a moment she leaned up against his chest, closing her eyes. "You doing okay?" He asked.

"Not really..." Sally replied, still taking deep breaths.

There was a knock on the doorframe and Sally looked up to see her mother standing there. "Sweetheart, why don't you try seeing if the hot water from the shower would help?" She suggested, then walked away.

Lightning looked over at Sally. "Do you want some help-"

Sally looked horrified. "I can bathe myself, for gosh sakes, Lightning!"

Lightning blushed. "I was GOING to say, do you want some help getting up out of the floor."

Sally blushed red too. "Oh. Sure."

Lightning helped her out of the floor, then brought her a towel, and left the room. He sat on the staircase outside the bathroom, checking his phone. It had been about five minutes, when he heard Sally shriek. He jumped up. "Are you okay?" He called through the door.

"No!" She shouted back. "There's a giant spider in here! This thing is the size to be a baby tarantula!"

Lightning rolled his eyes. "Wash it down the drain, Sal."

"Hell no! Are you crazy?! I don't want it in the tub with me!"

"Reach up and kill it!"

"You are physcotic! I am not touching this thing!"

"Well do you want ME to come kill it?"

"No! Well, yes, but let me get... Decent."

Sally stepped out of the shower and dried off, then put some pajamas on. She stepped out of the bathroom. Lightning walked past her and looked over at the curtain. There, on the brown and blue-stripe showed curtain, was the biggest spider that Lightning had ever seen. He turned around and shut the bathroom door. He looked at Sally. "I do not blame you for not wanting to wash that thing down the drain."

* * *

A while later, Sally was laying on her bed, curled on her side, wishing the pain would stop. Horrendous, terrible, excruciating, and agony were all words that could be used. Lightning quietly entered her room and he laid behind her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. "Any better?"

"No." She replied as a few tears fell. "I don't want to move, I don't want to breathe, I just want to fall asleep so I can't feel it anymore."

"Shhh..." Lightning soothed, rubbing her back. "It'll all be over in a few days."

And soon enough, Sally had fallen asleep.

* * *

**so yeah. This was my night tonight, except that I'm still awake, and it still hurts. I got a few hours of sleep and the pain went away, but then I stood up to move to my bed, and the pain came back. **

**I am going to be VERY VERY VERY VERY happy after my surgery this Wednesday. **


	7. Surgery

**well, I'm back! :D almost fully recovered, and back to writing. I planned to update everything on Friday, but decided that I'll just start today. :) I'll update as I get the chapters written. **

* * *

Road to Recovery- Chapter 7: Surgery.

* * *

Wednesday morning finally came. Lightning, who was going with the Carreras to the hospital, woke up at 6:45 in the morning, showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast. After that, he bid his parents goodbye, then headed across the street. It was Seven am. Lightning knocked on the door and it was opened by Sally's father. "Hey, Lightning. Come on in." He said, holding the door open.

Lightning followed him inside. "Is Sally awake?"

Mr Carrera shook his head. "She wanted us to let her sleep as long as possible. Why spend more time sitting around and worrying?"

Lightning nodded in agreement, and Mr Carrera pointed towards the living room. "You can go wake her up if you want."

Lightning smiled, then walked into the room. It was dark, except for the light from the sunrise pouring through the window. A blanket rustling was heard just then, and Lightning directed his attention towards the noise. Sally was laying on the sofa, wrapped in blankets. Her emerald eyes were open and gazing at him. "Good morning." She whispered, as he walked over to her.

Lightning sat on the sofa arm and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Morning, Sal. You need to go get ready."

Sally nodded, yawned, and stood up.

Lightning smiled at her and took her hands. They walked into the dining room, where Sally had folded and laid out her clothes. While she went into the bathroom to get dressed, Lightning looked at the list of stuff she was planning to pack. Her book she was reading, and the current knitting project she was working on we're on the list. Lightning busied himself by gathering up her things for her and packing them. After doing such, Lightning sat down in the dining room chair.

A few moments later, Sally appeared in the doorway. She dropped her toothbrush, toothpaste, and inhalers into the bag, then picked it up and swung it over her shoulder. "I'm ready." She said with a smile.

Lightning smiled back and ran his fingers through her ebony hair.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sally's parents, Sally, and Lightning were piling into the car. The small black Grand Prix. Lightning and Sally occupied the back while their parents took the front. It was a forty-five minute drive to the hospital where the surgery was going to be performed. And it wasn't an interesting drive either. Well, that depended on your point of view. On the way there was a river, plenty of fields, a house that had a statue of a gorilla out front, and a tall overpass. By this point, they were in the city. Lightning looked out the window to his left, and was appalled. "Oh my gosh! Are you serious?! CHRISTMAS decorations?! It's not even Halloween yet!" He exclaimed.

Sally giggled. That always annoyed him when people decorated too early. As in TWO MONTHS EARLY!

After driving through downtown, past a car dealership, and the courthouse, they arrived at the hospital. Sally's father drove past the main entrance and drove around to the surgery entrance. He began to apply the brake, and Lightning smiled at Sally. "Please remain seated until the vehicle has come to a complete stop."

Sally rolled her eyes. "You are such a dork."

They stepped out of the car and looked up at the brick door, with the glowing white sign marked 'SURGERY'. Lightning wrapped an arm around Sally's shoulders.

Sally looked up in fear at the glowing sign. "Oh gosh..." She said quietly with fear in her voice.

Lightning kissed her cheek. "It's gonna be alright, Sal."

* * *

Surprisingly, they were checked in quickly. After signing paperwork, verifying everything, and getting Sally a hospital bracelet, they were led to... Room 7.

It was small. The walls were blue-gray. Equipment, shelves, cabinets, and medical tools lined one wall. Two chairs were in the room, one next to a desk. And against the wall facing the door, a hospital bed sat. On the bed was a gown laid out, and some wrapped items. Sally sat down on the bed, her parents in the chairs, and Lightning stood against the wall. A nurse walked into the room a moment later. Her name tag read 'Linda'. She smiled at Sally. "Hello. So, you guys are here for surgery today?"

Sally nodded, and Linda smiled again. "Okay. Well, we'll get you into a gown in a few minutes. First, I need to get a urine sample."

Sally, blushing furiously, nodded and didn't say a word. The nurse reached into a cabinet and then handed Sally a cup, and pointed to the bathroom across the hall. Then, Linda left.

Sally stood up. Then suddenly she turned sharply and pointed accusingly at Lightning. "Just shut up."

Lightning, who hadn't said anything, raised his hands in defense. Sally glared. "Don't think anything either." then she walked across the hall.

* * *

When she returned, Lightning and her father left the room while she changed. Into the ugliest clothes she'd ever worn in her life. The hospital gown itself was long and grey-brown, with little green/yellow/red flower patterns on it. She was also given a pair of extremely too big grey socks with white no-slip pads. But the worst was yet to come. The nurse entered the room again, and helped Sally into thigh-highs. (A/N: oh god, I shudder at the memory.) they were white, extremely tight, thigh high tights. Unfortunately, they had a purpose. They were so that while Sally was under the anesthesia, the blood in her legs, not moving for hours because she was unconscious, wouldn't clot and cause complications.

Sally though she was done with the glamorous hospital wear. Nope. A blue hairnet, and some leg... Things. Gosh, I don't know what they're called! They were wrapped around her legs, over the tights, and they alternated squeezing each leg like a blood pressure cuff. This kept circulation going. Finally, Sally was done, and she laid in the bed, and a blanket was placed over her. God, blanket is too generous a term. A white towel, it felt like. Blanket. Who the heck ever called this a blanket?! No. In Sally's mind, it was a worn towel.

A few moments later, Lightning and Mr Carrera came back in the room. Lightning came and sat beside Sally, and took hold of her hand. She smiled gratefully at him.

There was a knock at the door and a different nurse entered the room, with Linda behind her. They stood awkwardly for a moment, before Linda spoke. "We have to get a blood sample. The, um, results from the other sample, well, let's say we just have to check a few things."

Sally looked frightened. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong, Sweetie." Linda said, as the other nurse wheeled over the cart with the supplies for taking blood. "It, um, the results said that you were pregnant."

Sally's jaw dropped and Lightning looked horrified. "I didn't do it!" He shouted.

Sally glared at him, and the nurse laughed. "It's alright, we'll just take this real quick and check it."

Linda began preparing an IV. "I'll just do it through an IV real quick, and then you'll have only been stuck once."

Mr Carrera, faint hearted when it came to blood, left the room.

...

It was soon over, and Sally now had an IV needle sticking out of her right hand. And a whole gosh darn ton of tape and adhesive holding it down.

Now they just had to wait. Well, their time wasn't passed idly. A nurse came and asked more questions, to which she wrote down, and then Sally had an orange bracelet marked 'Allergy', for her menthol and mint allergy, placed on her right wrist.

After this, another nurse entered the room and began the antibiotics in Sally's IV. And then one last nurse came in, and informed the Carrera's that she was about to take Sally to the operating room.

All of Sally's fears rushed back over her. She felt her eyes well up with tears. But she managed to hide it with a smile. Mr Carrera stood at Sally's left side, and they all joined hands. Mr Carrera began to pray for the surgery, and that all would go well, and the doctors would be able to perform it with no complications, and he prayed that God would watch over Sally, keep his hand upon her, and allow her not to be in much pain afterwards.

After he finished and they had echoed the amen, Mr Carrera hugged his daughter. "I love you, sweetheart."

Sally smiled through her tears. "Love you too, dad."

Sally was hugged by her mother, and then Lightning took her hand and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She whispered back, looking into his sapphire eyes.

Then the nurse wheeled her bed into the operating room.

...

It was bright. Machines and trays of tools laid out. Many people were bustling around, all wearing masks, gloves, and surgical coats. The nurse wheeled Sally up to an operating table, and helped Sally to move to it. The anesthesiologist started the anesthesia in the IV, and it began to flow through the needle, burning and painful. Sally took a deep breath as two nurses laid blankets over her. They were warm, as if they'd just come out of the dryer. Sally felt a bit drowsy, but not anymore than normal. She looked around. Then Sally blinked.

...

Two seconds later, she was waking up. Confusion... That wasn't very long... Was it over? Pain... Pain in her stomach. Awareness. Blue. The room was blue.

Sally looked up to see one nurse standing at her feet, and another beside her, looking at a monitor. Sally swallowed. Her throat was sore. "Is it over?" she whispered hoarsely.

The nurse looked at her and smiled. "Yep. You're all done."

Sally felt relief. "D-Did it go alright?"

The nurse nodded. "It went perfectly. You have four incisions, and doctor closed them with superglue. Sally, are you feeling any pain?"

Sally nodded. The nurse continued. "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the pain?"

"Nine." Sally replied, as the pain almost overpowered her. "Can I move to my side?"

The nurse nodded, and with the help of the other nurse, helped Sally turn onto her left side, where she found herself to be more comfortable. The nurse who had been standing at her feet began to gently rub Sally's back and shoulder, soothingly. Sally closed her eyes again. Relief. It was over.

And from that moment, Sally was on the road to recovery.

THE END

* * *

This part is totally true. Except that I don't have a boyfriend, and I had visitors at the hospital. I'm now doing fine. :D it's OVER! My incisions are still hurting a bit, but I'm taking Tylenol now, rather than narcotics. In a few days, I'll be completely recovered.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

And on one final note: SUPERGLUE COMING OFF OF YOUR STOMACH IS DAMN PAINFUL!


End file.
